Apparatus for play and sport



Feb. 19, 1935. R HElMERs APPARATUS FOR PLAY AND SPORT Filed April 28, -l931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. '19, 1935. E E s 1,991,459

APPARATUS FOR PLAY AND SPORT Filed April 28, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 19, 1935.. R. HEIMERS APPARATUS FOR PLAY AND SPORT Filed April 28, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Feb. 19, 1935' PATENT OFFICE:-

' APPARATUS FOR PLAY AND SPORT Rudolf Heimers, Churubusco, D. R, Mexico Application April 28, 1931, Serial No. 533,52i In Mexico April 29, 1,930

is Claims. (01. 272-1 The invention relates to apparatus for play and sport in their broadest sense, in which apparatus a carrier is united with arope. winding andflunwinding itself on a flywheel rotated by 5 direct or indirect means, so that when-the flywheel is rotated in one-way or another, changes are effected by-means of. said ropein the location of said carrier together withitsload.

In a narrow sense, the-object of the present invention is to create new devices forthe a1nuse-, ment of people on pleasuregrounds which by.

closely connecting sport and sensation answer modern demands, while in its broad sensethe ob- 1 ject of the invention is to provide means for new kinds of sports.

The principle underlying the present invention consists in the, function of a'wheel or flywheel, on the axle of which a ropev winds and unwinds itself, which rope by alternate pulling and 1oos-, ening-first produces increasing oscillations of the wheel and finally brings it into full rotations,

whereby the rope is alternatively wound and unwound. The automatic winding and unwinding of said rope produces a progressively increasing displacement of the load suspended from it, without it being necessary to increase the periodically repeated force applied for rotating the wheel. The importance of the presentapparatus for play resides in the more or less vertical rocking movements of the carrier, whileits application for sport calls for an active participation 'of theplayer in producing and in maintaining the performance of the apparatus. In the latter case the person operating the apparatus is preferably mount-' ed on the carrier or suspended from the rope, which obviouslycan by itself constitute the carrier or serve as such.

Many different forms of construction are possible with apparatus based upon the aforesaid principle, and several of these formsareillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a frontview, partly in section, of an apparatus with the flywheel at its top.

Figure 2 is a side View of the apparatus shown in Figure 1. x

Figure 3 shows the weighted flywheel with the rope attached, in the position before it is made to oscillate. p

Figure 4 is a lateral view of a similar apparatus with the flywheel at the bottom. 1

Figure 5 is a front view of the apparatus shown in Figure 4. Y

Figure 6 represents an apparatus with the flywheel at the bottom and the carrier balanced, by counterweights. 1 I V Figure? is a cross section on line a--b of Figure 6. Figures shows'one of .the. dented levers for starting: the displacement; of the'carrier in the apparatus shown in Figure 6.

11 opened,

for demonstrating its inside mechanism.

Figure 13 is a cross section through the neck of the horse, showing the mechanism. for changing the winding of the rope from one tothe other of the circular grooves of an auxiliary flywheel;

The apparatus illustrated'in Figures 1 and 2 com rises a square tower l,'reinforced-by-cross members for greater stability. The'top of this tower'carries the horizontal axle 2 of a heavy fly-- his a partial side View of the apparatus wheel 3 having a deep circular groove in which the rope 4 winds and unwinds itself. Said rope is fastened with one extremity to the bottomof said groove, and the flywheel 3 is weighted at a point 5 of its rim. From the other extremity of the rope 4 is suspended a horizontal beam'fi, from which hangs by two short ropes or ,bars. 7 a horizontal bar 8. By using bars instead of ropes 7, greater safety is obtained and torsional motions oi bar 8 are'prevented. The beam 6 is further connected with the flywheel 3 by,two ropes 9 fastened "to said beam at points located at equal distances from the center rope 4 and which wind and unwind themselves in circular grooves '10 provided on the sides of the flywheel ,3. These the iiywheel'3.

The apparatus described being in repose, the weight of the ropes 4 and 9, the beam 6 and the bars 7 and 8 stretch the center rope 4 so that it hangs down'frorn the deepest point of the central groove of the flywheel, in which position the weight 5 is raised up on one side of said wheel.

When the person using the apparatus lifts the barB, with its cars and ropes connecting it to.

the beam 6, the 'weight-suspendedfrom theflye wheel, is diminished, and theweight 5 swings down in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3, partially winding up the rope 4.v The bar 8 is then pulled down, raising again the weight 5, and this movement is repeated several times in quick succession, producing an increasing oscil lation of the flywheel, until it starts to rotate completely. By reasontof its weight and'ofthe' centrifugal force developed, the rope 4 onwinding itself will lift. the player from'the ground, and on 1 unwinding will let him down, and. this'movement' will continue; as long as thefflywheel: can be kept in I in full alternate rotations by means of lifting movements produced in determined moments by the arms or legs of the player, depending on whether he is hanging from the bar 8 or standing on it. For preventing shocks when reaching its highest position, the beam 6 is provided at its ends 'with elastic shock absorbers 12 striking against stops 13 secured to the sides of the tower 1.

The apparatus shown in Figures 4 and 5 comprises two vertical supports 14, each formed by two spaced beams suitably braced to the ground. The bar 8 passes with its ends between the two beams of each support, and the horizontal beam 7 6 also has two extensions 6 which pass between said supports, said bar and beam being connected by two vertical bars '7, providing stability and absence of torsional motions between the laterally guided bars 6 and 8. The center of the beam 6 is attached to the rope 4, which passes over a grooved pulley l5 and from there downward to the groove of the flywheel 3 piaced on or below the ground. In this apparatus, a counterweight 16 is secured to the down-hanging portion of rope 4, which counterweight, when the rope has been Wound up and the beam 6 approaches its highest position, strikes against a pivoted lever '17 acting as a brake against the wheel 3. Said wheel, in its dead position, is weighted at the bottom and the rope. 6 encircles half of the bottom of its groove, as shown in Figure 4, the steps for oscillating and rotating it being substantially the same as described with reference to Figure l, with the diiference that the oscillation of the wheel 3 is started by pulling down the bar 8 instead of lifting it as in Figure 1. The shock absorbing devices in the apparatus just described comprise a curved spring 13 against which strikes the beam 6 on reaching its highest position, and a spring suspension 19 between said beam 6 and the rope 4. Spiral springs 19 are further provided in the lower part of the space between each support 14, for receiving the thrust of the descending bar 8, said springs serving at the same time as safety devices against rupture of the rope 4. The bar 8 may also be detained in a fixed position by bolts 20 passing through it and the supports 14, and may then be used as an ordinary horizontal bar for gymnastical exercises. Such exercises may also be practiced while the bar 8 rises and descends through the revolutions of the flywheel.

Figures 9 and show the same apparatus described with reference to Figures 4 and 5, but mounted on a platform 21 moving on wheels 22. The downward movements of the bar 8 are there in made use of for moving forward the front pair of said wheels 22, by means of racks 23 extending vertically down from said bar andsuitably guided in the space between the beams of each support 14. These racks engage pinions 24 mounted on a shaft 25, said pinions being con nected by suitable means, such as chains 26, with pinions 27 placed on the axle 28 of the front wheels. A ratchet wheel 29 on the same axle 28, combined with a fixed pawl 30, permits the wheels 22 to be only turned in a forward direction, being disengaged when the racks 23 ascend. In Figure 6 is shown an apparatus in which the carrier takes the form of a cage 31 in which two. persons may sit, one opposite to the other. The rope 4 is attached to bars 32 placed transversely at the top and at the bottom of said cage and passing between two vertical supports 33 formed of channel irons, with a continuous rack 34 inside of each channel, said supports being suitably braced and spaced at the top and at the bottom by metal plates 33 The lower'part of the rope 4 extends from the inferior bar 32 to the flywheel, and the other part of said rope, being fastened to the upper bar 32 by a spring suspension 19 as in Figures 4 and 5, passes over a grooved pulley at the top of the column 33 and is secured to a counterweight 35 sliding on a steeply inclined surface 36. This counterweight 35 is connected by a loose rope or chain 35 with another weight 37, which in turn is similarly connected with a third weight 38, both weights 37 and 38 resting on fixed seats 39. The gradual taking up and raising of the auxiliary Weights 37 and 38 acts as a brake when the cage 31 is descending, this braking effect being entireiy automatic. The counterweight 35 may also be substituted by another carrier containing one or more persons, and which is raised as the other carrier descends.

For starting the rocking movement of cage 31, necessary for initiating the preliminary oscillations of the flywheel, as described, each person sitting in said cage manipulates a lever 40 having attached adented segment 41, which engages thecorresponding rack 34, the cage being lowered by pulling said levers backward, and raised bypushing them forward. The same levers 43 also serve as brakes to be used by any of the players for detaining the cage at any desired height. The apparatus described differs from the preceding apparatus especially in that the starting point for its operation is located above the carrier.

Figure 11 represents an apparatus in which the carrier is formed by the figure of a horse 42 moving up and down a column 33 constructed in a manner similar to the one described with reference to Figure 6, of two channel irons 33 with a rack 34 in each channel, and spaced by other channel irons 44 so as to leave a hollow center.

The horse 42 is preferably made entirely hollow and in a reared position, the column 33 passing through its entire length. Two pairs of grooved wheels 45 hearing against the outward edges of the channel irons 33 and fastened with their cross members 45 to the inside of the horse, serve as guides for keeping it in an upright position and for reducing friction. The saddle 47 of the horse is preferably made of curved spring steel resting on a similarly curved spring 48, in order to make it resilient and shock absorbing.

The upand down movements of the horse along the column 33 starting the oscillations of the flywheel, are carried out by means of dented segments 49 and 50, pivoted at their apex and held out of engagement with the racks 34 by springs 51, which pull the segment 49 up and the segment 50 down. The first segment 49 is attached by a cross member to the stirrups 52. which on being pushed down, make said segment 49 engage the corresponding rack 34, giving an upward movement to the horse. The second segment 5D is attached to the reins 53 which are led over rolls 54 and 55 at the throat and the mouth of the horse, and moves up by a pull on the reins, giving a downward movement to the horse.

The rope 4, after passing from the flywheel 56 up the inside of the column 33 and over a grooved pulley 5'? at the top of the tower 58 sustaining said column, is attached with its other extremityto a roller 59 on which the rope Winds and unwinds itself. The axle 60' ofthis roller passes on both sides through a downwardly and 7 1,991,459 backwardly inclined slot 61 and is provided with a pinion 62. The axle 60 is further secured to the ends of a second rein 63. By pulling onthis ,rein, the axles 60 glides back and down in the slots 61, thereby bringing the pinion 62 'in engagement with the corresponding rack 34 and winding up the rope 4 onthe roller 59 as the horse moves down. To the pinion 62 is secured a ratchet wheel 64, detained by a pawl 65, to

which pawl are fastened by a transverse member the endsof long flat springs 66, located on the outside of both sides of the horse, so as to be easily reached by the knees or heels of the rider. By pressing or pushing inward with the legs these flexible springs, their length is reduced and the pawl 65 is disengaged from the teeth of the ratchet wheel 64, and by loosening simultaneously the reins 63, letting the axle 6O slide up in its bear ings and disengaging it from the rack, the rope 4 unwinds itself from the roller 59 and the. horse falls.

When using a relatively high column on which .the horse slides up and down, it may be advisable V to reduce at a certain height the velocity with which the rope winds itself upon the, axle of the 1 wheel 56, or to give to the rider a new starting point, to be determined before-hand. For this all) purpose said wheel 56 is provided with two grooves, to one of which the rope is fastened.

As soon as this groove is filled with the turns or the rope, at a certain height attained by the horse, a transverse bolt 67 (Figures 12 and 13) lying in two vertical slots 68 of the column 33' (bolt head and slot being shown proportionally too large in FigurelZ for greater clearness) is caught by two inwardly protruding hinged claws 69 secured to the neck inside of the horse, and after being lifted in'said slots, is pushed sidewardly into an enlarged opening 66" at the top and on one side of said slots. The bolt 67 is attached to a rope '70, which onbeing raised together with said bolt, actuates a lever '71 located at the foot of the column 33, which lever pulls the rope 4 towards the second groove in the wheel 56, in which it continues winding itself up. The diameter of this second groove being smaller than the diameter of the first groove filled with the rope, the velocity of ascensio'nof the horse is reduced. Several such devices may be provided at different heights of the column so as to reduce periodically the ascending speed, or for limiting the up and down movements of the horse to certain predetermined stories or portions of the column. For disengaging the bar or bars 6'? from the openings 68, a sliding lever 72 is pushed against the conical extremities of said bar 67, dislodging it from said openings and letting it fall down in the slots 68, whereby the rope l returns to its former position above the first groove in wheel 56. If it is desired that the bolt lifting device should not actuate, the hinged front part of the claws 69 is raised by pulling on the ring 69 and securing this ring in a hook 69 For obtaining a higher number of revolutions and thereby a greater centrifugal force, the wheel 56 is geared to a big flywheel '73, which is provided with a pinion or pulley '74 for transmitting its rotation to a speed regulator or any other mechanism. The flywheel 73 is iurtherprovided with a crank lever 75 forimparting by hand the first oscillations or rotations, if this should be desired.

The horsemay further carry lateral wings 7.6 pivoted on a transverse member T17 passing through the horse. with a pin 78 which is periodically engaged by a number of transverse pins '79 extending from the face of the pinion 62, producing a flapping of said wings as said pinion revolves.

A shock absorber 80, formed by a strong spiral spring, serves; as an aid for braking the fall of the horse as it flnishes its descent.

Having now particularly described and ascertainedthe nature'of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a' vertically movable carrier element, a flywheel, mounted at a point above the carrier, for rotation in reverse directions and having an eccentrically arranged weight, a cord connected to the flywheel to be wound and unwound thereon and also connected to the carrier element so that the latter is suspended from the flywheel and ar- Said member is provided ranged for reciprocating vertical movement to impart reverse initial rotations to the flywheel, and to be lifted by the winding up of the cord incident to the momentum of'the rotating flywheel.

to the carrier element. I

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the'carrier element is a bar. 4; Apparatus asjclaimed in claim 1, including means to absorb shocks incident to change of direction of movement of the carrier at the ends of the path of movement thereof.

5. Apparatus for play and sport, comprising a flywheel mounted at an elevated point for'rotation in reverse directions, a carrier element below the flywheel, winding. means connected to the flywheel to be wound and unwound thereon,

and also connected to the carrier element, the latter being arranged for vertical reciprocating movement to impart reverse initial rotations to theflywheel, and 'to be pulled by the winding up 7 of the winding means incidentto momentum of the rotating flywheel.

6. Apparatus of the class described,comprising a carrier element arranged for reciprocating movement, a flywheel mounted for rotation in reverse directions and spaced from the carrier, and having an eccentrically arranged weight, a cord having one end connectedto the flywheel,

said cord being also connected to the carrier element so that when the carrier elementis initially moved'inone direction against the resistance of the flywheel and then released the flywheel will be caused to rotate and the pull exerted by such movement of the carrier element will cause'the cord to be unwound on the flywheel'and the momentum of. the flywheel will cause the cord to be rewound thereon and thereby move the carrier element in the reverse direction.

'7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, including a brake forthe flywheel and means to actuate the brake. V

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, including a guide element for the carrier.

RUDOLF HEIMERS. 

